Howard Earl Benter was born February 1, 1925 to Harvey and Esther (Carlson) Benter. He passed away peacefully at the Community Memorial Hospital in Burke on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at the age of 84.
Howard attended school and graduated from Lucas. During the summers he would spend time at his uncle Dale Benters in Wahill, Nebraska working in their hardware store and helping on the farm. Times were hard and Howard worked for relatives in Scottsbluff, Nebraska also. He joined the Army and was enlisted as a prison guard at several different bases guarding P.O.W.s. After the Army, Howard returned to Burke and worked as a mechanic at Cernys Implement. On October 29, 1947 he married Ruth Walden and they lived in Burke and on a farm North of town. Two children were born into this union, Mark and Cindy.
He spent his lifetime operating large machinery. One experience he liked to talk about was when they were building the Platte-Winner bridge. While extending the ground out into the water, the ground gave way and the caterpillar and him ended up in the Missouri River. He will always be remembered as Happy Howie. If he had a bobcat loader and a job to do, he would whistle and loved the time he spent on the bobcat. Everyone that he worked with over the years will tell you how precise he was on the jobs he did. He has many friends who he has worked with that will miss him dearly.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Don and sisters Nellie Romo and Linda Heying, brother in laws Ray Johnson, Harold Romo and Buster Heying. He is survived by his wife of 62 years Ruth, his son Mark and wife Nancy of Burke, SD and his daughter Cindy and husband Rod Juhnke of Parkston, SD. He is also survived by 9 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson, one sister Dorothy Johnson of Burke, SD and one brother Jim (Joyce) of Burke SD, and several nieces and nephews, extended family members and many friends.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 23, 2009 at 10:00 AM at Clausen Funeral Home in Burke. Burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery, Burke. There will be a prayer service on Sunday at 5:00 PM at the funeral home. Visitation will be prior to both services at the funeral home.